HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
"Siam" is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1939 and again between 1945-1949. On May 11, 1949, an official proclamation changed the name of the country to "Prathet Thai" or "Thailand", by which it has since been known. The word "Thai" means "free", and therefore "Thailand" means "Land of the Free".

LAND AREA
Thailand is covering an area of 513,115 square kilometres.

GEOGRAPHY
Situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland, Thailand borders Laos, and Myanmar to the north, Cambodia and Gulf of Thailand to the east, Myanmar and the Indian Ocean to the west and Malaysia to the South. The country has maximum dimensions of about 2,500 kilometres north to south and 1,250 kilometres east to west, with a coastline of approximately 1,840 kilometres on the Gulf of Thailand and 865 kilometres along the Indian Ocean.

TOPOGRAPHY
Thailand is divided into four natural regions. The North is a mountainous region comprising natural forests, ridges and deep, narrow, alluvial valleys. Central Thailand, the basin of the Chao Phraya River, is a lush and fertile valley. The Northeast region is an arid region characterized by a rolling surface and undulating hills. The Southern region is hilly to mountainous, with thick virgin forests and rich deposits of minerals and ores.

TIME DIFFERENCE
GMT + 7 hours.

CLIMATE
Thailand is a warm and rather humid tropical country. The climate is monsoonal, marked by a pronounced rainy season lasting from about May to September and a relative dry season for the remainder of the year. Tempera- tures are highest in March and April and lowest in December and January. The average temperature is 23.7 - 32.5- Celsius.

POPULATION
The population of Thailand is approximately 58.5 million with an annual growth rate of around 1.3%. The most important ethic minority are Chinese. Other minority groups include Malays, Kampucheans, non-Thai hill tribes and some Vietnamese.

RELIGION
Buddhism, the national religion, is the professed faith of 95% of the population. There is total religious freedom and all major religions can be found in practice.

LANGUAGE
The official national language, spoken by almost 100 percent of the population, is "Thai". Other languages are Chinese.

Dialects are spoken in rural areas. Principal and Malay. English, a mandatory subject in public schools, is widely spoken and understood, particularly in Bangkok and other major cities.

GOVERNMENT
Thailand is governed by a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentarian form of government. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is administered by an elected governor and is divided into 24 districts.

The country is divided into 75 provinces, each administered by an appointed governor, and villages, which are sub-divided into districts, sub-districts.

MAJOR CITIES
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand which is located in the central region. The leading cities in the north are Chiang Nai and Chiang Rai. Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani are the major cities in the northeast. Nakhon Srithammarat, Songkhla and Surat Thani are the important provinces in the south.

ECONOMY
The Thai economy has been built upon free enterprise and open trade. The economy grew by 7.5% in 1993 while the economic growth for 1994 is predicted at 8.3%. GDP at current price in March 1994 was US$ 138.8 billion, with manufacturing and components. GDP per capita in agriculture/agro-industry are the largest 1994 is US$ 2,301.3. Prudent fiscal and monetary policy have kept inflation at 3.6% and brought Thailand's surplus reserves to US$25.4 billion.

In 1993, exports rose 11.1% to US$ 36.4 billion while imports rose by 11.9% to US$ 45.1 billion. The trade deficit was US$ 8.7 billion. Major trade part- ners are the United States, Japan, the EC and ASEAN member states.

Major exports are garments, automatic data processing machines and parts, precious stones and jewelry, rice, frozen shrimps and prawns, tapioca products, rubber, electronic integrated circuits and footwears. Major imports are non-electrical machinery for industrial, electrical machinery and parts, chemicals, electrical appliances.

Also in 1993, balance of payments surplus was US$ 5.6 billion and current deficit was US$ 6.6 billion. Tourism sector is the largest foreign exchange earner.

FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Thailand lifted most foreign exchange controls by signing Article VIII of the International the Bangkok International Banking Monetary Fund (IMF in 1990. Later, Facilities (BIBF) was established in 1993 to facilitate offshore banking services. The government's policy is to further liberalize the financial system.

The banking system includes 15 Thai banks, each with a branch network and some with overseas branches. Most major international banks have branch or representative offices in Bangkok.

Thailand also has a well-developed stock exchange : The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Almost 300 foreigners are allowed to invest.

CURRENCY
Thailand's currency is the "baht". Its value is managed by the Bank of Thailand and is pegged to a basket of currencies, particularly the US dollar. The average exchange rate in 1993 was 1 US$ to 25.28 baht. Bank notes are issued in 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 baht denominations. Coins are 1, 5 and 10 baht. All major credit cards and traveller's cheques are widely accepted.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT
As part of its free-trade policy, the Thai government encourages investment by foreign individuals and companies. The Board of Investment (BOI) oversees foreign investment and offers special tax incentives and other privileges to various companies, especially those which strengthen Thailand's industrial capability, use domestic resources, create employment, develop support industries, earn foreign exchange and contribute to development outside Bangkok.

NATIONAL DAY
December 5, the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is generally regarded as the national day. This day is a public holiday.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Thailand has 16 public holidays. Most national holidays and festivals are of a religious nature and serve to evoke a sense of devotion to the monarchy, the religion and the nation. Some are celebrated by the lunar calendar and thus vary in date from year to year, while others are celebrated according to the solar calendar.

HEAD OF STATE
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX.